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Pastor Rupert Henry, whose Foster Youth Connection has worked to help reduce the number of foster youth in Osceola County, was a local driving force to bring CarePortal to the area. SUBMITTED PHOTO
CarePortal, a way to unite people who want to deliver help to families and children in danger of falling into the foster care system, has come to Osceola County.
Ministries at five Osceola County churches have signed up to unite in an effort of service for children in, or on the verge, of foster care. Nearly four million children per year are at risk of entering an overloaded foster care system that already houses 400,000 in the system.
CarePortal is in its sixth year, and more than 2,800 church response teams have a presence in 27 states.
Pastor Rupert Henry, whose Foster Youth Connection has worked to help reduce the number of foster youth in Osceola County, has had his work recognized by the city of Kissimmee in the past. But its lacked the collaboration to create a network of help.
What’s missing? Enter CarePortal, which uses its technology to create real-time connections with kids in families in crisis.
Here’s how it works: case workers with child-serving agencies encounter the needs of children in crisis, an enter them into the portal, making churches where they are located aware. It creates a real-time opportunity to respond. This way, churches can be at the point of care for this children and families in need. An entire community can work together on any requests — one church or a community of them, creating a single “mission field” for them all.
CarePortal has a wonderful video on its website (https://vimeo.com/273918096) detailing its work.
“You don’t have to adopt the child to help a child,” Henry said. “There are so many things you can do.”
CarePortal makes vital connections possible, creating a support system that can truly change lives. For example, according to CarePortal 75 percent of those incarcerated spent time in the foster system.
Henry worked with Danielle Wright, a Florida Area Director with The Global Orphan Project, which is connected to CarePortal, to put it together.
“Evangelist Henry has been instrumental in brining together what we consider our foundational churches for the area,” Wright said. “These Pastors have stepped up in a big way, saying ‘yes’ to furthering and deepening their presence in child welfare to serve our most vulnerable kiddos. Our prayer is that the seed planted by an item of need being filled grows into families feeling seen and supported in a way that stabilizes them.”
Wright said over 2,000 children have been served in Florida since CarePortal began going statewide last year, creating over $800,000 in economic impact through 208 churches.
The kickoff for Central Florida’s CarePortal of churches was July 24. Henry works with pastors Dan Haggard and Wade Mumm out of Greenway Church in Hunter’s Creek, and is part of the portal. The other four local churches in the portal are:
Break Through By Faith Ministries; 2328 Fortune Road, Kissimmee, 321-209-5360, Pastor Elton Noel; Templo de Dios La Hermosa, 2317 Clay Street, Kissimmee, 321-900-3527, Pastor Audie Murphy; Solid Rock Community Church, 1904 Michigan Avenue, Kissimmee, 407-847-3500, Pastor Matthew Quainoo; The Gift of Giving Ministry, 321-276-5897, Pastor Tommy Cartagena.
“We are excited to see what those numbers look like in a year or two as we continue to add churches, just as we did at this featured local event,” Wright said.
